Pre-honeymoon, 1980

This is a guest post by Mira, my mother: 

A trip, like life, lasts for a time. It has a beginning and end, its ups and downs, good and bad days. You can take a trip alone, but as in life, you may meet someone along the way with whom you will walk part of the way, or stay with until the very end. A long time ago I learned this lesson: if you want to get to know someone, go on a trip with them. You will learn their true character—whether you can count on them in uncomfortable situations, how they deal with other people, how they deal with money, are they grumpy in the morning, do they leave their dirty socks lying around, will they save you the last piece of chocolate, or in our case—will they make time for romantic moments when you're running to catch a train just as much as when you are lying on a ship's dock looking at the stars.

I knew Sasha (Aleksandar) for a few years before this trip. We were good friends and then one day we realized that we couldn't imagine a day without seeing one another. It was time to take a trip together. For starters we decided to see the Mediterranean. We had big ideas (Tunisia, Sardinia, Malta, Sicily...), lots of time, backpacks and a little bit of money. The trip lasted a month and a half and when we returned it was natural to turn that summer into a life-long trip. We had become a good team. I learned much about Sasha and more about myself.

Since then, exactly 30 years have passed. Our trip continues...